Fear
by onetruefirelord
Summary: If they fear you, they will follow you. Fear is the only reliable way. Canon up to Day of Black Sun.


**Title: Fear**

 **Word Count: 1,489**

 **Summary: If they fear you, they will follow you. Fear is the only reliable way.**

 **Canon: Up to Day of Black Sun**

 **Disclaimer: Characters belong to Bryke, etc.**

 **T/W: Torture, allusions to rape and abuse**

* * *

"Dad's all the way at the end of the hall then down a secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to see you now."

Azula smirked as she retreated into the compound. With fire newly coursing through her veins again, she felt _glorious_. She had played the Avatar and his allies to a fiddle. Even now, the fleet of war balloons would be ensuring the capture of all of the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom troops, all but putting an end to the war.

Azula turned the next corner too quickly, colliding with a very pissed off waterbender.

* * *

"Father, I brought you a present."

Azula casually strolled into Ozai's chambers, hands clasped behind her back, leading along a bound Katara. "She's the Avatar's favorite waterbender, and I'm sure she'll make an excellent addition to the prisoners."

"You stupid girl!" raged Ozai to a very surprised Azula. "Do you think I care about another water peasant? Your brother told me the truth about Ba Sing Se. Before he deserted again." _'Oh... this wasn't good,'_ panicked Azula.

"I didn't shoot to kill," Azula lied. "I knew that our enemies were planning to attack the capital on the Day of Black Sun, but they would reconsider doing that if the Avatar was dead. The best option was for them to think that we thought that the Avatar was dead, and this was the best way of doing that. They sent all their best troops straight into a trap. I didn't tell Zuzu because he couldn't be trusted with the information."

"And apparently I couldn't be trusted with this information either," sneered Ozai. "I'm disappointed, daughter. I thought I taught you to lie better than this." He stomped over to Azula and grabbed her arm, revealing a violently shaking hand.

 _'Uh oh,'_ thought Katara.

* * *

" _Ah, well if it isn't the Avatar's favorite waterbender," jeered Azula once she recognized the person she had run into. "Shouldn't you be trying to retreat with dear old daddy? If the execution orders go through you won't have much time left with him."_

" _You witch!" seethed Katara, charging at the princess. "I'm going to kill you!"_

" _Been there, done that," taunted Azula as she sidestepped from Katara's attack. "Your friends tried to do that just now, and I didn't even have my bending." She ignited her hands and waited for Katara's response._

 _Katara lunged, reaching out with her hands for Azula's neck. Azula easily dodged, then tripped Katara, snatching the waterskin on her way down. "You are just as easy as your brother- so full of rage, you can't think straight. Did you even remember that you have water to bend with?"_

 _Before Katara reach for her waterskin, Azula boiled all of the water away. "Oops, well now you don't have any water. Care to try attacking me like a stupid barbarian again, or are you just going to surrender?"_

" _Shut up!" screamed Katara. "I will end you, you monster!"_

 _For the first time that day, Azula's faced slipped._

* * *

"I don't care if you lie to your brother, I don't care if you lie to your friends, but you. Do. Not. Lie. To. Me," lectured Ozai. "You lied to me when you returned to Ba Sing Se, and you lied to me just now. We both know that I have to punish you for this."

"F-f-father, I captured Ba Sing Se that day! And I just masterminded a major victory for the Fire Nation! Surely that must count for something!" pleaded Azula.

Ozai stepped back, as if reconsidering. "Yes.. I suppose your record is almost perfect..." Azula nearly sagged in relief, until Ozai continued. "But almost isn't good enough."

Azula turned to Katara, her eyes seemingly beseeching for help. She found no solace there.

* * *

 _Katara noticed her small victory, and pressed on. "What, you don't like being called a monster? It's what you are! Monster, monster, monster-"_

 _She ducked as Azula threw a blue fireball at her head. "-monster, monster, monster. Your friends don't like you, your brother doesn't like you, your moth-"_

 _Azula let out an inhuman shriek as she rammed into Katara's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Azula grabbed her by the collar and hauled her up. "You. Do. Not. Talk. About. That. Bitch. Do you understand?" Azula demanded, spit flying into Katara's face._

" _So it's true then? Katara continued. "Mommy didn't love poor psycho crazy Azula, so-"_

 _Azula hurled Katara into the wall. "You have no idea what you are messing with. Just for that, I'm going to make you watch as I flay your father, then burn your brother alive. But I'll make sure they are still conscious when I cut open your..."_

* * *

"Kneel," commanded Ozai. Azula obeyed. "Turn around." Azula turned around. Ozai ignited two fire whips. "Bare your back."

Azula's eyes looked directly into Katara's as she acquiesced. "It looks like your scars have healed," murmured Ozai. "No wonder you can't lie anymore. You must have gone soft after all this time. Such a shame."

Ozai turned his attention to Katara. "Don't look so happy about this," completely misreading the horror plastered on Katara's face. "You're next. Although you are such a pretty girl, there might be better uses..."

Katara shut her eyes as she heard the snapping of fire whips. One...two...three... Between cracks, Katara heard Azula repeat the mantra, "I'll do better I'll do better I'll do better". Eventually, Katara heard a thud. She opened her eyes to see Azula collapsed on the ground, looking right at her through teary eyes. 'Help me,' mouthed Azula.

* * *

 _Katara saw red. Her heart beat wildly, and in that moment Katara felt the water in her body. And in Azula's._

 _She reached for it._

 _The look of shock on Azula's face would have been comical, except for the utter seriousness of the situation. Katara slowly rose, all the while maintaining her hold on the princess._

" _It's funny. I swore I would never use this ability again," began Katara. "I promised that I would never do this to another person._

" _But you aren't a person. You are just a hateful shell. All you do is make people angry. You made me angry enough to do this, and it's not even a full moon!"_

 _Katara squeezed. "I could kill you right here, and it wouldn't even be murder. Because you aren't a person." Azula sank to the ground, pain alternating with hate as she glared at the waterbender._

 _Katara squeezed harder. Hate._

 _Harder. Hate._

 _Harder._

 _Finally, terror glazed over the princess' eyes. "Please..." whispered Azula. Katara loosened a little._

" _I'll do better, father. I'll do better..."_

* * *

"Now what to do with you..." debated Ozai, stepping over his daughter's prone body.

"Water tribe women are so hard to come by these days. Girls especially. They say the best part is snuffing the fight out of them, but that means you can only use them once..."

Katara shuffled away from Ozai, backing up against the wall. "Get away from me!"

Katara's eyes were drawn towards motion behind Ozai. "Oh, don't mind her," said Ozai. "It usually takes her a couple of minutes to get back up. Now, where were we..."

Ozai's hand reached toward's Katara's sash...

The Fire Lord suddenly screamed in pain. The unmistakable smell of lightning filled the room as Ozai collapsed, heavily burned and paralyzed.

"Get away from my friend!" yelled a standing Azula (who promptly collapsed again).

* * *

 _Katara stopped, confused by Azula's words. Without her blood being bent, Azula crumpled unceremoniously into a heap on the ground. "Uh... I'm not your father."_

" _Oh..." Azula muttered meekly, not moving. "Please, no more..."_

" _'And why should I stop?" retorted Katara. "I know you wouldn't stop."_

" _If they fear you, they will follow you. Fear is the only reliable way," replied Azula. (The way she said it, Katara thought the princess had been lectured this many many times.) "You have my fealty."_

" _Oh yeah?" questioned Katara, the skepticism clear. "Let's see you prove it. Get up. We're paying your father a visit."_

* * *

"Why..." groaned Ozai. "Why would you do it? You know the consequences."

"You miscalculated," replied Azula from her spot on the ground. "I fear her more than I fear you. Now off to the Spirit World with you, father."

Ozai's eyes closed for the last time as Katara slipped off the rope that was binding her hands. She reached behind her back for the concealed waterskin and walked over to Azula. "I'm surprised that you actually followed through, Azula."

Katara bent her water onto Azula's back, watching as the bloody lash marks glowed and disappeared. "So I'm your friend?"

"Of course you're my friend!" Azula chirped, her mouth stretching into a wide grin. "You're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world!"


End file.
